In 2021, Lionel Messi made it clear he was going to stay at Barcelona, the club he joined at the age of 13 and had played for ever since. He agreed a contract extension that would see his wages halved but nonetheless signalled his intention to remain with the Catalan side. However, overnight everything changed when Barcelona asked him to leave in search of another club. After three years of fanfare and expectation, Messi decided to move from Paris to Miami instead of Barcelona in 2023. This decision marked one of the biggest missed opportunities in Barcelona’s history as they failed twice in three years to sign their talismanic forward.
The move from Paris to Miami left many Barca fans wondering ‘what could have been’ as Messi seemed destined for the Camp Nou after such a long affiliation with the club. This was compounded by reports that soon after, Barcelona attempted to re-open negotiations with Messi – an offer which was ultimately rejected. Instead, Messi chose to join David Beckham’s Inter Miami project and continue his glittering career elsewhere.
There have been numerous theories as to why this deal fell through multiple times over three years but none more so than financial issues at Barcelona that meant they were unable or unwilling to meet the terms requested by Messi and his representatives. Many feel this is especially true given how much money had already been invested in other signings over these past seasons and now looking back it appears as if all these funds could have been allocated accordingly towards keeping their main man instead.
It wasn’t just on-field implications of losing a footballer like Lionel Messi though. Furthermore, marketing revenues associated with having a figure such as Messi donning your colours can never be understated either and this coupled with loss of commercial opportunities following his departure will surely leave a lasting impact for many years ahead both financially and emotionally for Catalonia’s most successful team ever won’t soon forget about what might have been – twice in three years!
If you are interested in Barcelona jerseys 2023/24 and other peripherals, you can find out more by clicking here.